Harris: 'Millwall have been warriors and winners – you don't lose that overnight'

NEIL Harris has warned Bristol Rovers will still be a threat despite seeing their play-off chances ended last weekend.

Darrell Clarke’s side will finish in the top 10 in League One after coming up through the play-offs from League Two last season, their second promotion in a row.

They were still in contention for a top-six finish before they lost to Peterborough 4-2 last Saturday, but they can still finish as high as eighth.

Bristol Rovers haven’t lost at home in the league since November, a run that Millwall will have to end to guarantee finishing sixth.

“They have a lot of flair in their team and are very attack-minded,” Harris said. “The game’s going to be sold out from both sets of fans. There will be an excellent atmosphere.

“Darrell Clarke will want his team to finish in style, they’ve had a brilliant year. They’ve had two promotions in a row and a really good season at this level.

“He will want his team to go out on a high.

“We’ve got to make sure we deal with Bristol Rovers and be defensively secure in terms of combatting their attacking threat while carrying a threat going forward ourselves.”

Millwall have to pick themselves up after two successive defeats to Fleetwood and Oxford.

Harris promised his side will be better as they aim for the three points they need to secure a place in the first leg of a play-off semi-final next Thursday.

“We’ve won individual battles the majority of the season, especially at home,” he said. “We’ve won team battles in the majority of the games we’ve played.

“We’ve not always been at it when we’ve been low on numbers, with young lads not being able to compete. That’s acceptable.

“We lost a lot of individual battles last weekend in the first half, we lost a lot of second balls. We didn’t look ourselves or have the same energy, and that’s for me to look at the reasons why.

“Players don’t become warriors and winners and tough guys on the pitch and then lose it overnight.

“I have to make sure everyone realises the first 45 minutes last weekend was a one-off. The second half we were much better. It wasn’t an ideal time to have those 45 minutes, I’ve got to be honest.

“If we’re not playing well we have to make sure we win the battle. We’ve been really good at that this year but weren’t on Saturday.

“We gave a really poor goal away and should have scored ourselves but didn’t. I was a lot happier with our second half but we’ll be better than that on Sunday, that’s for sure.

"Sheffield United have been brilliant since September, by far the best team in the division. Take them out of it and from probably October onwards we’d be right up there with the best teams in terms of points and performances.

I've listened to the anti- Harris brigade during and post Oxford at home. The reaction is nothing new, we had the same views/concerns under Rhino & Macca, even after winning a few games. I sit back in my seat in the CBL & listen to all the terrace managers. Like I've done for years. Same story, different season. Let's get one thing straight... we all support a small club in SE London. We all do this for different reasons, family usually No. 1, but what makes us different to any other club in the country is that you support Millwall F.C for a reason. We get no glory hunters, in fact we attract a fair few fans from other 'bigger' London clubs, coming to the Den with their Millwall mates trying to grasp a few moments of what football used to be like. We are a very special club, we ARE the biggest small club in the world. Why don't we use our position wisely? This season we have beaten 3 PL Teams in the FA Cup, a record. We are within distance of claiming a play off place, AGAIN. Yet still people moan! I'm not saying I don't get angry at the performance against Oxford, the dropped points at home to Walsall, Chesterfield... but we are in a great position. Support the manager, who after all was the cheap option. We have no other choice. As long as I've got a hole in my a***, Paul Goddard will be our record signing! £850,000.... more than 20 years ago. Embrace who we are. Get behind the team. Always. NOLU